It's Complicated
by Gail Cregg
Summary: When you are family even if it's not by blood. Tony and Tim discuss the events of the past few days and there are some surprising revelations. Sequel to In Partners We Trust.


"You didn't have to do that you know."  
"Huh?" Tony turns from watching Ziva step into the elevator to McGee seated at his desk.  
"You didn't have to make her apologize to me."  
"What she did was wrong. She should never have put you in that position. A partner should not do that or a friend."  
"I think when things calmed down a bit she would've worked that out on her own. It's been a rough time for all of us. A death. Two cases. Long hours, anxiety and little sleep. Her motives were good. She was trying to stop you being hurt."  
"Hmm. You've a kind and generous heart Tim. Maybe to a fault."  
They work on for a few minutes.

"What's this _really_ about Tony?"  
"Dunno what ya talking about."  
"Don't play dumb with me DiNozzo. I know you too well. Why are you so angry about what she did to me? I'm just happy she felt she could confide in me and, more importantly that she was so concerned about hurting you. Surely that counts for something?"  
"Course it does but..."  
"But?" Putting the pieces together he suddenly realizes what this is really about. "This isn't actually about me is it? It's about you and Ziva. It's about what she did to you."  
"There's no me and Ziva."  
"Tony!"  
"Okay, okay. Sure I was mad about what she did to you but you're right. I was mostly angry, hurt at what she did to me. The fact that she didn't call."

"What did she say when you asked her? She told me it was all sorted. That the two of you are good."  
"That's what I told her."  
Detecting something in his friends tone McGee asks "And that's not true?"  
"It has been a rough time. I'm so tired of fighting with her. She had her reasons but I do too you know. I just said what I thought she needed to hear. We've all tried so hard. If she doesn't trust us now I don't know what else we can do to convince her. We have to work together so we need to move on."  
"And you say _I'm_ kind and generous to a fault." The touch of annoyance in Tim's tone puzzles Tony.  
"What ya saying McDrPhil?"

"I am saying you're letting her off too easily. Sure I get that she had a rough time in Somalia and that with her upbringing it's hard for her to trust anyone. Her father, Ari, Rivkin, her Mossad training all that has taught her to be suspicious, to have levels of paranoia that would result in most normal people quivering under their beds and not working for a federal agency. I get that. You get that. We cut her a great deal of slack based on her past but surely, surely it should cut both ways. As our colleague, our partner, our friend she should make allowances for us too.

We found her in that desert when Mossad, her own father had left her for dead. Vance and Gibbs welcomed her back here despite the state she was in. You and I have always been there for her since day one. She was on our team and that was that. Yet, she's never trusted us. What about when she questioned your motives for killing Rivkin? Or when she didn't tell us what she was thinking about Locke in the Hoffman case? She preferred to share her thoughts with a stranger instead of with us her friends." His voice has risen causing some of their colleagues to look over in curiosity.

"Wow. You've been keeping that in a long time."  
McGee sighs. "Feels good to get it out."  
"I bet."  
"Ziva's a good agent and a good friend. I just think sometimes she needs to think of others more."  
"And that I let her off too easily?"  
"Yeah."  
"Then I'll tell you this. I've been thinking since I nearly died last week..."  
"What? Tony you were not _that_ ill. It might have felt like it but you weren't."  
"Not then. At the end when Ziva took the shot. I hesitated. If she hadn't been there..."  
"You would have done it."  
"But probably not fast enough. Anyway I decided I'm not going to keep fighting with her. I'm done justifying my actions and trying to get her to trust me. If she can't then she can't and that is _her_ problem and not mine. For all her faults she was there when it mattered most and that is what you want in a partner. She wavered a little but she was there at the end."  
McGee nods. "I get that. Let's get out of here. Wanna go grab a drink? Maybe watch the game?"  
"Sure."

They gather their things together and leave the squad room each looking forward to a beer and sharing some uncomplicated camaraderie such as can only be found between partners who are also good friends.


End file.
